Dancing Through Life
by BroadwayStarToBe
Summary: Austin Marie Mozdzierz is your typical 14 year old living in NYC in 2025. Except she's never met her father. Starting high school has Austin digging to discover who she really is. COPYRIGHT 2010
1. Last Chance

NAME: Austin Nichole Mozdzierz

AGE: 14

D.O.B.: May 17th, 2011

GENDER: Female

GUARDIAN: Graciana Hope Mozdzierz

CONTACT INFO: 732-388-6111 ()

EXPERIENCE: Annie (Annie) Suessical (Mayor's Wife) Beauty and The Beast (Lumiere) Really Rosie (Rosie) Les Miserables (Young Eponine)

"Thank you. Someone will be in touch." The secretary grabbed my resume and head shot and put them in a large filing bin. She hit a small red button which made a clicking noise as the glass doors unlocked. I smiled and nodded.

I pushed open the door before it relocked and put my coat on. It was extremely cold for an late August day. I guess global warming is really kicking in. Mom says they thought the world was gonna end in 2012 but turn out they lived and all the people who thought we would die just made the enviroment worse. I shivered. I think the wind ricocheting between the tall skyscrapers makes everything colder. I've lived in New York since I was 5. Yet I haven't gotten used to the extreme weather conditions. But I do prefer the extreme sun to the extreme cold.

I took a step towards the curb and hailed down a cab.

"Where ya headin' to?" The man asked me. His breath made me gag. He reeked of cigarette smoke and the cab smelled like gasoline. Ah, New York.

"328 East 14th street please." I finally choked out.

"Sure thing doll." I rolled my eyes.

I looked out the window at the passing people and buildings. I sighed. This was my last audition before I had to go back to school. I needed this so badly. If I made it I could afford private tutoring for all of high school. Not to mention the rehearsal schedule would be enough to keep me at home.

As mom explains, "High school will either be the best four years of your life or the worst." Of course she only went to public school for two years but I knew she knew enough about it.

If high school was anything like my previous schooling experiences, It would fall under the category of the worst years. The cab jolted to a stop and the cab driver yelled angrily in a language I didn't understand to the passing cars. I rolled my eyes. New York! What a thrilling town. He pulled to the curb as I undid my seatbelt.

"That'll be $17." He said looking back at me. I reached into my pocket and handed him a twenty.

"Keep the change." I got out of the car and slammed the door. I waved to Ms. Chang, who ran the Chinese restaurant below our apartment. She smiled at me.

"Crap." I felt through my pockets and realized my keys were in my purse. On the dining room table. I sighed and hit the buzzer. I leaned closer to the voice box.

"Mr. Dominguez could you come unlock the door? I left my keys home again and mom is out." I cringed as the box made a high pitched squeak.

"Of course Austin." He laughed but it sounded like he was strangling a pigeon. The door opened and he stepped out.

"Thank you so much." He smiled at me.

"Anytime but you need to start remembering your keys little one." I smiled even though he called me little. I had to be polite. After all he is always the one who lets me in when I lock myself out. I counted the steps up to the 13th floor apartment. 105 steps. EVERY DAY I have to go up and down 105 steps. 210 if I want to come back up.

Mom jokes about how she'll never have to worry about gaining weight but it never makes my legs feel any better. I got to the top of the stairs and sighed. I reached into the umbrella holder mom cleverly placed outside the door after the third time forgetting my keys. I pulled out our spare key and unlocked the door.

"Thank god!" I fell on the couch and screamed into a pillow. I breathed and tossed the pillow towards the fire escape.

"Long day?" A voice asked. I jumped up when I realized it wasn't mom.

"Aunt Mimi!" I got up and hugged her.

"Hello my dear. How are you?" She said gesturing towards the pillow that actually made it out the door.

"I've been better." I said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the couch.

"Spill." I plopped down as she slowly sat. She had to be careful with her "almost-done" baby belly.

"Well. I start high school next Wednesday." I began.

"I'm aware." She smiled.

"I'm terrified. Well, not terrified I guess apprehensive would be a better word. I don't want to do the whole high school thing. I'd rather do what you and Angel did. You both passed all your senior classes and you were only in schools maybe twice a week." I sighed but she just laughed and rolled her eyes.

"That is the biggest regret I have. Angel and I, we were stupid..."

"Hey! Speak for yourself." Angel walked out of the kitchen with two mugs. He handed one to Mimi and one to me. "Hey squirt." He ruffled my hair.

"Jerk." I smiled sipping my hot chocolate.

"Mimi is right though. I didn't focus on my education and then when I wanted to settle down a bit and maybe find a serious boyfriend and get a house I realized I'd need a job which I wasn't qualified for so I had to go back to school." Angel said sitting down across from us. Mimi nodded.

"I realized when I was pregnant with Shaylee that I needed to go back to school. And yeah, the Broadway phase was great but after 5 years of that I knew I needed to find something that couldn't just fall apart in a second." She rested her hands on her stomach. "So when I was 25 I married Russell, quit Broadway, had a beautiful baby girl at 26, had a baby boy at 29 and now I'm having another little girl. I couldn't be happier. Except for one regret. And that's schooling. I shouldn't have taken it for granted." I groaned.

"You sound like my mom! Where's my cool aunt?" Mimi glanced at Angel and laughed. Mimi went to say something but Angel cut her off.

"Mimi I don't care if you're pregnant I'll beat your ass." I looked between them and laughed.

"I still have the pictures." Mimi winked and Angel just stuck his tongue out at her. I loved how at 31 he still had his tongue piercing.

"Wow. You are both such twelve year old girls." I said laughing. Mimi started hysterically laughing, Angel got up and smacked her leg gently as he walked by.

We all looked towards the door as mom walked in.

"Hello, hello." She said walking to Angel to give him a hug.

"Hello Gracie." He hugged her, took the bag of stuff she bought and put it on the table.

"I would get up and hug you but baby kinda makes it hard." Mimi smiled up at her. Mom walked over to her and kissed her head. Mom walked away to unpack stuff and Mimi patted my knee.

"Trust me. Enjoy being young while it lasts. Don't just hand away your education like I did." She whispered. I nodded and hugged her.

I knew she truly believed what she said and so did Angel but I was different. I couldn't think of any other future but dancing though life.


	2. Home

I splashed water on my face and turned the sink off. Mimi and Angel slept over last night so I only got about four hours of sleep before mom decided to start arguing with someone on the phone. I rolled my eyes as she went from whispering to yelling to whispering.

"God dammit Tyler!" I stopped what i was doing and pushed the bathroom door open a little. Mom never uses God's name in vain. I sat down in the hallway out of her line of sight but where I could hear better.

"Life isn't cheap. I need the child support by the end of the week." She was talking to my dad. Wow. I tensed up as voice got closer. "I know you don't want anything to do with me, That's fine but she is your daughter." She walked further away again. "Yes I know. You don't want me to bring this to court, do you? You know I'll win." I heard something slam on our table. "I don't make you pay anywhere close to what they would, Give me a break." I got up and quietly walked into the living room. I feel flat on the couch. "Okay. Yes. Goodbye." Mom slammed our home phone onto the receiver and stomped down the hall to her room. She slammed her door.

"Damn. He's a prick." Mimi said. "Make me a cup of tea please?"

"Sure Meems." Angel said. "I agree he's a total..."

"Austin." Mimi sat down next to me. "How long have you been out here?" I shrugged.

"Austin." Angel came towards us. "Did you hear that?" I shrugged.

"Okay." Mimi stood up. "How much of it did you hear?" I shrugged.

"I sense a 'aunt-niece-angel' day coming on." Angel said.

"Yes please." I said sitting up.

"Okay squirt. I'll go talk to Graciana." Mimi nodded towards him as he walked away.

"Wait." He turned. "Don't tell her I..." I stuttered. He smiled.

"Your secret is safe with us." Mimi said glancing at him. He walked into mom's room and i looked back at Mimi.

"His name is Tyler." I said. "Did you know I never knew my father's name?" She nodded. "Age fourteen and I didn't even know my dad's name."

"Why does it matter? What has he ever done for you? When has he ever given up everything for his baby girl like your mom has? When has he ever taken care of you?"

"He hasn't but Aunt Mimi you don't understand. You had two parents and a sister. You had friends. You never had to wonder who you are." She smiled at me like I just said the sky was green.

"We need to talk a lot today." She said. "Get ready." I nodded and went to go get ready.

"Where are we going?" I asked her as we got to the bottom of the stairs.

"That'd be up to the man with the car." She pointed at a black Hyundai Sonata that pulled up with club music blasting.

"Turn it up a little louder." Mimi said getting in the car. "I don't think my baby is fist pumping yet." He stuck his tongue out at her. I rolled my eyes.

I put my seat belt on and leaned my head against the glass window. I have tried so hard but I haven't made one friend in school. I wanted a friend, just one. Mimi and Angel have been friends since they were 13 and they are both 31.

"So where are we going, Austin?" Mimi turned to look at me.

"Hey! Hey! It's my turn to pick and I'm driving." Angel said turning the radio down.

"Fine!" Mimi laughed. "But she's right. You are a twelve year old girl."

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh. I have a great idea." Angel pulled into a driveway and made a U-turn. We drove for what seemed like hours until we parked in front of a huge building.

"What is this?" I asked. Mimi looked at him.

"Aw!" She said.

"What? Where are we?" I asked getting out of the car. Angel looked up and leaned on the top of the car.

"My old home." He smiled and grabbed mine and Mimi's hand and we took off down an alley on the side of the building.


End file.
